Big Pictures celebrity photo agency in administration

Big Pictures u2013 one of the worldu2019s largest celebrity photo agencies u2013 is in administration, accountants acting for the London-based company have confirmed.

The 20-year-old business, set up by Australian photographer Darryn Lyons, holds an archive of more than five million images.

Its ‘exclusives’ list includes the first intimate pictures of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and ‘romantic holiday snaps of Prince William and Kate Middleton’.

Big Pictures has a worldwide staff of 75, representing more than 1,000 photographers, according to its website.

A spokeswoman for UK business advisory firm RSM Tenon told AP: ‘Simon Bonney of RSM Tenon has been appointed as Joint Administrator of Big Pictures (UK) Limited. The appointment was made on 27 September 2012.’

In an interview with Amateur Photographer at the time, Lyons said: ‘Everyone’s got mobile phones these days. The fact of the matter is that this is not new.’

The service, launched under the banner ‘Mr Paparazzi’, aimed to make it easier for the public to submit digital images for a share of the commission.

In 2008, Lyons spoke of a bomb threat sent to the agency in the days following the death of Diana Princess of Wales on 31 August 1997.

Speaking via videolink from Australia, Lyons told the inquest into Princess Diana’s death how he returned to his office in Clerkenwell Road, London, suspecting the premises had been broken into and a bomb planted there.

He reported the incident to police in the early hours of 5 September 1997.

Lyons also confirmed that on 1 September 1997 – the day after Princess Diana’s death – his general manager had received a phone call saying: ‘You killed Diana, we are going to kill you, we are going to blow up your building.’

No bomb was found and police say that ticking noises that could be heard were the sounds of clocks in the Big Pictures office.

Lyons said that pictures photographers supplied to Big Pictures after the crash were handed to police.

Lyons was at his London home when he heard Diana had been involved in a car accident.

Jones sabo it easy to see a type of out-of-date ne

I’ll right away take hold of your rss feed as I can not in finding your e-mail subscription hyperlink or newsletter service. Do you have any? Please allow me recognise so that I could subscribe. Thanks. Jones sabo it easy to see a type of out-of-date ne http://www.optilab.com/member/32901/

Charlie

End of an era and the beginning of a new one, lets hope that the Government get media regulation right! We need a 1st Amendment to protect the Freedom of Speech.

Please keep me up to date with special offers and news from Amateur Photographer and other brands within the Time Inc. UK Group by email. You can unsubscribe at any time.

We'd also like to send you special offers and news just by email from other carefully selected companies we think you might like. Your personal details will not be shared with those companies - we send the emails and you can unsubscribe at any time. Please tick here if you are happy to receive these messages.